Proverbs 27
1 Don't brag about tomorrow, since you don't know what the day will bring.2Don't praise yourself; let others do it!
3A stone is heavy and sand is weighty, but the resentment caused by a fool is heavier than both.
4Anger is cruel, and wrath is like a flood, but who can survive the destructiveness of jealousy?
5An open rebuke is better than hidden love!
6Wounds from a friend are better than many kisses from an enemy.
7Honey seems tasteless to a person who is full, but even bitter food tastes sweet to the hungry.
8A person who strays from home is like a bird that strays from its nest.
9The heartfelt counsel of a friend is as sweet as perfume and incense.
10Never abandon a friend--either yours or your father's. Then in your time of need, you won't have to ask your relatives for assistance. It is better to go to a neighbor than to a relative who lives far away.
11My child,[a] how happy I will be if you turn out to be wise! Then I will be able to answer my critics.
12A prudent person foresees the danger ahead and takes precautions. The simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences.
13Be sure to get collateral from anyone who guarantees the debt of a stranger. Get a deposit if someone guarantees the debt of an adulterous woman.
14If you shout a pleasant greeting to your neighbor too early in the morning, it will be counted as a curse!
15A nagging wife is as annoying as the constant dripping on a rainy day. 16Trying to stop her complaints is like trying to stop the wind or hold something with greased hands.
17As iron sharpens iron, a friend sharpens a friend.
18Workers who tend a fig tree are allowed to eat its fruit. In the same way, workers who protect their employer's interests will be rewarded.
19As a face is reflected in water, so the heart reflects the person.
20Just as Death and Destruction[b] are never satisfied, so human desire is never satisfied.
21Fire tests the purity of silver and gold, but a person is tested by being praised.
22You cannot separate fools from their foolishness, even though you grind them like grain with mortar and pestle.
23Know the state of your flocks, and put your heart into caring for your herds, 24for riches don't last forever, and the crown might not be secure for the next generation. 25After the hay is harvested, the new crop appears, and the mountain grasses are gathered in, 26your sheep will provide wool for clothing, and your goats will be sold for the price of a field. 27And you will have enough goats' milk for you, your family, and your servants.
a. Proverbs 27:11 Hebrew My son.
b. Proverbs 27:20 Hebrew Sheol and Abaddon.
6 comments:
There were several other verses that jumped out to me today, but I will only coment on these
17As iron sharpens iron, a friend sharpens a friend.
We all know this one and it certainly is proving true with this blog for me.
20Just as Death and Destruction[b] are never satisfied, so human desire is never satisfied.
Wow, how true is that. But then I thought about it, I wondered if the same is true after the new covenant?? I guess our nature, or some of our nature's.
Father, change my heart and make it align with yours. Watch over my brother and thank you for AAB's renewed and new fire for You. Amazing!!
In Christ,
cas
A few verses were woven together for me this morning:
8A person who strays from home is like a bird that strays from its nest.
10Never abandon a friend--either yours or your father's. Then in your time of need, you won't have to ask your relatives for assistance. It is better to go to a neighbor than to a relative who lives far away.
17As iron sharpens iron, a friend sharpens a friend.
I received the news that an Aunt in Minnesota is enjoying her last few days on this earth. In that, I've been given the opportunity to make contact with some cousins that I haven't talked to in close to 20 years. Indeed, we've strayed far from the nest! God didn't have staying close to "home" in MN in His plan for me. Instead, He brought me East and put many good friends, GOOD men, in my path.
LORD, Thanks for revealing and underscoring this clear message to me this morning. And thank you for good friends who help to sharpen me for Your service.
In Christ,
tba
Prov 27
5An open rebuke is better than hidden love!
17As iron sharpens iron, a friend sharpens a friend.
21Fire tests the purity of silver and gold, but a person is tested by being praised.
These three verses really jumped out. I've been really working on trying to help my labmate both in lab and as a person, and I've come to the recognition, that its better to actually have him frustrated with me, or challenged by me, then trying to let him continue doing things that will only dog him in the long run. Also, the iron sharpening iron verse was the theme for our old men's ministry in SD, and I am still reminded of that verse and must thank you all for your continued sharpening of me.
Most recently v.21 came to my life, as there have been things earlier in the year which were very praiseful in my life: an award, a new child, praise from others, and I recognized in retrospect that it really did slow me down, and make me a little lazy. Only through prayer have I come back around to truly hard work and consistency.
Father, thank You for these men. Help me to continue to not only be shaped by them, but play my role as a sharpener too, however you determine it. Watch over AAB on her first day of school, and watch over the kids and keep them healthy and let their friend get healthy quickly. In Jesus name,
Amen
crb
8A person who strays from home is like a bird that strays from its nest.
20Just as Death and Destruction[b] are never satisfied, so human desire is never satisfied.
Vs 8 and 20 stick out to me. i am in the process of potentially taking another job which would require moving. in my heart of heart, my family is unbelievably important to me. i want to be near my mom and dad and brother and friends and my wife's family. This job would mean a move from philly to DC. i know it isnt far, but it isnt a 20 minute ride either. previously, i lived away for 10 years of my life and know what it feels like to be away from my friends and family. I cant understand why things are happening the way they are. I wanted more responsibility and better financial stability and now i have this opportunity. did my lack of patience and inability to simply be content lead me down this path? or, was it simply my ambition? am i straying from home? I am feeling a million emotions right now. the oppty is better than i have now. but, i must leave home. i am definitely confused on this. am i following God by going or did i simply open this door through my vain ambitions? sorry for the rambling guys. love to hear your perspectives.
Dude, this sounds like my move to U of Illinois. Same exact thing, I wanted to get my PhD, more responsibility, more money (long term), more flexibility, closer to friends and family, cheaper to live here, etc. Struggled with it for a long time, loved my old job in San Diego. Not really confident ahead of time. I felt like I was leaving greener pastures for browner pastures for future green pastures. I struggled with the idea, is this God’s will or mine, and my wife always comforted me with, if it wasn’t supposed to happen, God wouldn’t let it. “To much is given, much is expected” I’ve always felt like staying in SD would have been the easy thing to do, to keep the status quo, etc, but I don’t know how I would have felt in the long run. Since moving I have had my two children, and fighting through grad school has given AAB and I a ridiculous number of challenges, but more importantly the growth together that comes from overcoming those challenges. My advice is this: pray, and pray by listening to the Holy Spirit. If it feels right, do it. If it feels like you’re getting mixed signals from God, think about it, listen to what He’s really saying. But I firmly believe that you would have to fight God tooth and nail to do something that would be really bad for you.
crb
Thanks Chris – I appreciate your perspective. this is definitely hard for me. on one hand I feel driven for more responsibility and on the other hand I feel like maybe I am in an awesome place already (it just doesn’t give me as much responsibility or pay as I may want). I keep asking myself, am I in the perfect scenario already and my ambition is unGodly. Honestly, it looks like I will end up taking this job. I went back to my employer and told them how I wanted to stay and what I was hoping they could do. Unfortunately, they couldn’t or wouldn’t do what I laid out for them. I didn’t ask them to match the offer or even come close so I kind of felt that what I put out there was more than fair. so, it kind of leaves me no choice. My wife keeps saying God wouldn’t have let it get this far. I guess that is true. But on the other hand I think that God lets us make decisions. He simly says no matter what decision you make, I am by your side. So on one hand, I must realize that part of the moral of the story is to Trust God no matter the decision. Which I think I am doing. But, on the other hand, I ask, if God knows my heart’s desire is to stay near my family, why is he leading me away from that? Or is He? Anyway, thanks for the feedback. It was comforting to read your story. God Bless.
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